US teenager attacked by men for “wearing a bikini”

A teenager from Louisiana in southern region of the United States will require surgery after being attacked by a group of men who had harassed her while she was wearing a bikini.

Jessica Byrnes-Laird, 18, was sitting in her car while her boyfriend entered a store in Shreveport after the pair had spent the day swimming. The four men started harassing her and fought with her boyfriend after he emerged from the shop.

As the boyfriend broke away from the scuffle, one of the men threw a brass pipe through the open passenger door window, striking the teenager in the mouth, the KTSB channel reported.

“I looked down and saw my teeth in my hand and I immediately gushed blood,” said the teenager, who said she was badly shaken up by what happened.

She added: “There’s a little bit of fear, honestly, because going through this make you realize how delicate life is, and you never know what can happen. Things happen so suddenly, without warning.”

The teenager said she had been told she will require surgery and multiple tooth implants. The cost of the treatment could be up to $12,000, according to a GoFundMe fundraising page.

Police said they are still searching for the men who carried out the attack.